Can an F-22 fly at Mach 2.5?

Question

Can an F-22 fly at Mach 2.5?

Answer 1

Performance

Maximum speed:

At altitude: Mach 2+[82][83] (1,325+ mph, 2,132+ km/h)

Supercruise: Mach 1.72 (1,140 mph, 1,825 km/h)[1][79] at altitude

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor

Answer 2

The wiki entry mentioned above claims a top speed "above" 1600mph. If true, it probably can top Mach 2.5

But the actual top speed is classified. Top speed is actually of minor importance for a fighter. It may very well be below mach 2 in service, although it might have gone faster in non-operational tests.

Answer 3

The truth is that no one in the public knows because the F-22's top speed hasn't been released, but some educated guesses can be made based on its inlet structure and what's known about its engines. One of the biggest problems with supersonic flight is with shockwaves interfering with engine operation. A turbojet or turbofan engine cannot use supersonic air. This is overcome in most supersonic arcraft with some form of variable inlet. One examole of this is the inlet on an F-15. If you look closely, you'll notice that the inlet can angle downward. Just below supersonic speeds, such an inlet will adjust to force shockwaves away from the inlet and slow the icoming air down to subsonic speeds. The higher the mach, the more difficult this becomes. The F-22 does not have variable inlets, which means that engine management above mach 2 is bound to become impossible or at least much, much more difficult. Furthermore, the F-22's engines are optimized for supercruise and greater acceleration, not top speed. This means that the F-22 is not likely to be quite as fast as the F-15 (the F-15 was designed to be as fast as possible without titanium and steel construction) and definitely not a mach 3 aircraft. This is more than made up for by its ability to supercruise. The F-22 will cover more ground in less time, with a lot less fuel than an F-15 could. Even if the F-22 is as fast as an F15, it is definitely not a mach 3 aircraft. There are major reasons for this. First is engine design. The SR-71 cruised at more than mach 3. At such speeds, the variable inlets converted the jet to ramjet operation to gain the neccessary efficiency to operate at such speeds. This required a massive, complex, and heavy sytem. The F-22 has a surprisingly simple inlet and engine configuration that simply cannot deal with those speeds. The second major problem with mach 3+ flight is structural. The SR-71 did its mach 3 cruising at 80,000 ft. Even in such frighteningly thin air, the skin recieved enough friction to heat it to several hundered degrees. This required an all titanium skin, among other design traits like expanding panel joints and special hydraulic fluid. The F-22 is made of aluminum, composites, and a comparatively small amount of titanium. The titanium is also internal structure, not skin. The F-22's airframe simply could not withstand mach 3 flight without damage. It's possible that there are some undisclosed engineering tricks in the internal inlet channels and/or possibly some unknown design traits in the engines themselves allowing such high performance, but this is very unlikely. All available information indicates the F-22 should have a maximum speed of mach 2.2 or 2.3 at altitude and around mach 1.3 at sea level. The truth is, it doesn't need to go any faster. With supercruise, it'll still outrun anything else out there.

Answer 4

I was watch in a show on the history chanel talking about the f-22 as of now i believe it can make mach 2.5 but that is classified

Answer 5

Almost - Mach 2.42

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor

Good Luck...

Answer 6

No-Max;level speed "Demonstrated by YF22A,

clean Mach 1.58 in supercruise mode and Mach 1.70 with afterburning".

Answer 7

No.  Assuming that one would need to push the throttles to the detents, 2.2Mach given the design of its inlets and mission.  Keep in mind that crews go whole careers without flying their aircraft "Barberpoled".  

The Eagle can do 2.5Mach at altitude, but then this was specifically to enable it to intercept MiG25s (which in the late 60s was considered to be a "superfighter", shows how much intel guys know...)  

Victor gave a great detailed answer about the F22.  I would humbly add that absolute flat-out speed is not a primary requirement anymore (though certainly important).  AGILITY's the key:  rapidly accelerate, handle sustained-G w/out bleeding off energy, transitions from positive to negative instantaneous-G: those are key now in air combat.  The F22s (problematic at the present time) ability to move quickly from subsonic thru transsonic speeds without resorting to A/B gives it a huge advantage-it can stay in the fight longer before needing to separate due to fuel.  

The majority of kills since Korea have been against gomers separating due to fuel.  The majority of THOSE were at sub and trans sonic speeds.